Home & Garden Deals

Friday, July 20, 2012

On Monday, Mom and I drove down to Columbus (OH) to spend the day attending the annual OFA Short Course trade show held at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. One day is really not long enough to see everything you want to see, but we absolutely couldn't find one hotel room so we could spend the night. (After more than three hours of looking online, I gave up.)

Blooms of Bressingham provided lunch for members of Region III GWA (Garden Writers Association) at Max and Erma's, and a short meeting was held. They also gave us plant samples of one of their new introductions, Leucanthemum x superbum 'Freak'. I'm a big fan of frilly white daisies, so I'll happily add this to 'Wirral Pride' and 'Aglaia'.

Speaking of trial plants, the prolific plant breeder Dan Heims of Terra Nova Nurseries shared some plants with me - three heucheras and a Heucherella hand picked by him for our hot, dry summers. I'll be trying Heuchera 'Sugar Berry' and variegated Heuchera 'Galaxy' both of which are part of the Little Cutie™ Series, In addition, he gave me Heuchera 'Delta Dawn', which is supposed to be an improvement over 'Miracle', one I currently have in my garden. Heucherella 'Buttered Rum' also came home with me.

It's always fun at the Plants Nouveau booth. Angela Treadwell-Palmer won me over with her tutu at a garden writers event in Dallas two years ago. Well, that and her fabulous plants. This time, I met her new business partner, Linda Guy, and the two of them make for a powerful duo. I oohed and ahhed over the hydrangea blooms and of course, the echinaceas.

In addition to giving me some new brunneras to try (Brunnera macrophylla 'Sea Heart' and 'Silver Heart'), she sent me home with a fabulous Everlasting™ Hydrangea macrophylla 'Revolution'. I can't wait to see it bloom in my own garden. This plant is hardy to Zone 5 and is a repeat bloomer that's very prolific about it. Just look at the colors in its blooms!

Everlasting™ Hydrangea macrophylla 'Revolution'

I got to see my publisher - Paul Kelly of St. Lynn's Press - of the book that I'm writing with Jenny Peterson and met the graphic designer, Holly Rosborough, who put together the BLAD for it. Indoor Plant Décor will be published and released in April 2013.

As far as booths were concerned, from what we saw, nothing held a candle to Lloyd Traven and crew of Peace Tree Farm, a wholesale nursery in Kintnersville, PA (that's just east of Allentown). Using all repurposed items in their design, they certainly appealed to my inner hippie with their living peace sign.

Even the flooring was a great use of pallets, the darling of the recycled garden products world right now. Groovy, Lloyd.

Passiflora

All in all, it was a fun day that we wrapped up with a stop at Oakland Nursery, where I couldn't leave without buying a red-blooming Passiflora that was nearly as big as the 'Clear Sky' one I lost over the winter. There wasn't an ID tag on this one, but I suspect it's 'Lady Margaret'.

The next gardening show will be in Chicago when IGC Show holds its annual trade show at Navy Pier in mid-August. That is always a good time!

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